Aerosol collection devices are used to transfer particulate matter contained in a gas flow onto a solid or liquid surface. One example use of a collection device is in the sampling of biological aerosols, or bioaerosols, where the aerosol collection system is based on jet impaction of aerosols onto a collection plate. The impactor may fractionate the aerosol and deposit size-segregated aerosol particles onto separate agar-filled petri dishes. For example, Graseby Anderson Inc., located in Smyrna, Ga., manufactures a multi-stage impactor that operates at a flow rate of twenty-eight liters per minute and fractionates the aerosol into six size fractions.
Another example of an aerosol collection system used for bioaerosols is a cyclone. A cyclone has been used to collect bioaerosol material from a high flow rate of air, such as approximately 500 liters per minute, into a small flow rate of liquid, generally a few milliliters per minute. Cyclones generally employ an upstream spray of liquid to form a mist. The mist is collected by the cyclone and washes particulate matter collected by the cyclone to a collection location.